Want to Change? Follow These 8 Steps

Despite the fact that sometimes we want to change, change isn’t always easy. In fact, it’s often ridiculously difficult.

And I’m not just talking about organizational change here; I’m talking about those times when we decide we want to make changes in our own lives. Maybe it’s a habit we want to form; perhaps it’s one we want to break.

It could be something more significant than that. It could be that we’re trying to rewire how we act or react in certain situations; and to do that, we’re really digging in to understand our deeply rooted psychological and philosophical presuppositions.

Regardless of how or what we’re trying to change, it can be tough; but then again, as they say, the most worthwhile things often are. Below are some ideas to help you along your trek.

Want to Change?

Want To Change? You’ve Got to Be Humble

Without humility, you’ll not be able to see or admit that change is necessary. Constantly working toward embracing a humble mindset will make it more likely that you’ll see things that need changing.

[tweetthis]If you’re not humble, you won’t ever see the need to change. #leadership #companyculture #hr[/tweetthis]

Want To Change? Increase Your Self-Awareness

Self-awareness is so critical to personal growth. Think about it — when your boss or teammate lacks self-awareness, it drives you bonkers, right? You wish they had even thimbleful of self-awareness, because if they did, they’d work on some of the things you know they need to work on. Well, the same principle applies to each of us.

Want To Change? Push Yourself to be Specific about the Changes

This is another reason humility and self-awareness are so important — they enable you to be brutally honest and specific about what thing or things you want and/or need to change. It’s important to be specific because it’s imperative that your change efforts have a focus. You need specific objectives towards which you’re going to work.

Want To Change? Eliminate the Toxic Influences

I can’t really overstate the importance of this one. People who surround themselves with toxic people are more likely to adopt a toxic mindset than those who don’t.

Further, toxic influences and environments add extraordinary amounts of added and unnecessary stress and misery to your life. People who find themselves in a toxic work environment or with a toxic boss are far more stressed and miserable and generally hate their jobs. Toxic CEOs are like a cancer to an organization and its employees.

To make positive changes as an individual, it’s so critical that you minimize the toxic influences in your life. Life’s way too short.

Want To Change? Find Accountability

When a team is functioning the way it should, it’s a great place to find this sort of accountability. Remember, accountability — rightly understood — is a shared thing between two or more people. Now think about a group of people who care deeply about each other as individuals and as a team, and think about what an amazing support system those teammates could provide each other as they all navigated individual changes.

[tweetthis]Healthy teams can be great support systems for each other. #leadership #companyculture #hr[/tweetthis]

Want To Change? Focus on Continuous Progress

When you think there’s no way you can take another step, find a way to take another step, even if it’s a small one.

The greatest coach I ever had — and one of the best and most human leaders I’ve known — was my high school soccer coach. One thing he always drilled into us while we were running, especially during our longer runs, was that no matter how tired we were, we weren’t to stop running. He didn’t care how slowly we had to jog, we just had to keep making progress.

[tweetthis]Feel like you can’t take one more step? Then you need to take one. #leadership #motivation[/tweetthis]

Want To Change? Focus on Continual Learning

The more we learn — about ourselves, our professions, and about the world around us — the better equipped we’ll be to change, and the more knowledgable we’ll be about the things we want to change. As humans, we’re constantly growing and changing, so it stands to reason that we should be constantly learning as well.

Want To Change? Then…Change

There’s a certain part of change that comes down to simply doing it. There’s a part of change that comes down to grit. Desire. Perseverance. Determination.